Turkish Airlines is the carrier that serves the largest number of destinations worldwide. There is no other airline that has a wide reach as the Turkish flag carrier. That reach has only broadened in 2024 as the carrier has launched its first flights to Australia. The first destination was Melbourne and soon Sydney will follow with an even more frequent service albeit with a stop along the way. So, here are all the details of the new Turkish Airlines Istanbul to Sydney TK174 flight.
Turkish Airlines Branches Out in Australia with Sydney TK174 Service
Australia was the largest market that had eluded the Turkish Airlines network until 2024. This year the airline launched its first flights from Istanbul to Melbourne with a stopover in Singapore. A move that put further pressure on one of its main competitors, Emirates, which is now planning to exit the Singapore to Melbourne sector.
After having experimented with this first service the airline has decided it is time to further expand and invest on Australia. Turkish Airlines will be starting flight to Australia’s largest and busiest airport, Sydney Kingsford Smith International. The structure of the flight will be like what we’ve seen for flights to Melbourne. The flight will be a direct service, but not a non-stop connection.
There will be a short stop along en-route from Istanbul to Sydney at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Therefore, the second leg of the trip will be a fifth freedom service connecting KL to Sydney. By structuring the service in such a way Turkish Airlines will be able to maximise load factors by combining passengers travelling from Istanbul to Sydney with those going to KL or between KL and Sydney.
Also, this structure will allow the airline to promote itself to passengers who might not have otherwise been exposed to the Turkish Airlines brand. What I mean by that is that, if passengers are only travelling from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur, they world never travel TK, but with this service they will get to experience what the airline has to offer, and it will create a certain brand recognition.
The Schedule of Turkish Airlines’ TK174 Istanbul to Sydney
As the flight is a multi-sector fifth freedom operation there are a few things to specify regarding the timing and schedule. So, first things first, Turkish Airlines currently operates 2 daily flights to Kuala Lumpur:
- TK60
- TK62
The new Sydney flight, TK174, which will operate via Kuala Lumpur will have 4 weekly frequencies. This new service will offer flights every:
- Monday
- Wednesday
- Thursday
- Saturday
So, what will happen is that on the days above, the second daily flight, TK62 will be replaced by the Sydney-bound service TK174. Therefore, there won’t be a third service to KL.
Of course, with a stopover in KL, this won’t be the fastest option to get from say Europe to Sydney. That 1 hour 20 minute break in Malaysia might be appreciated by some travellers to stretch their legs but it will make the flight that much longer.
| Flight Number | Departure Airport | Airport Code | Departure Time | Arrival Airport | Airport Code | Arrival Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | TK174 | Istanbul | IST | 15:15 | Kuala Lumpur | KUL | 06:20+1 |
| TK174 | Kuala Lumpur | KUL | 07:40 | Sydney | SYD | 18:30 |
| TK175 | Sydney | SYD | 20:40 | Kuala Lumpur | KUL | 20:40 |
| TK175 | Kuala Lumpur | KUL | 03:55 | Istanbul | IST | 08:30+1 |
The A350 The Aircraft of Choice for TK174
Turkish Airlines will be utilising for this new route its Airbus A350-900, the same aircraft currently operating flights to its other Australian destination, Melbourne. The aircraft has a simple and straight forward cabin configuration, featuring:
- 32 Business class seats
- 297 Economy class seats
Economy Class features the most common A350 seat layout with 9 seats abreast set up as 3-3-3. With the only outlier being row 43. Due to the fuselage’s curvature, there are only 2 seats near the window, making it particularly good if you are travelling as a couple and are willing to put up with a little more noise due to the proximity to toilets and the rear galley.
Business class features 32 seats between doors 1 and 2. They come in a 1-2-1 layout and allow all passengers direct aisle access. They do not, however, come with a privacy partition as many other premium cabins do nowadays.
Sydney Airports’ 8th New Airline in The Last 2 Years
The last 24 months have been successful. The airport, which controls 38% of Australia-Europe traffic, has been able to attract 8 new carriers offering flights to Asia and Europe if we include Turkish Airlines. The list of carriers features:
- Batik Air
- Bamboo Airways
- SriLankan Airlines
- Thai AirAsia X
- T’Way
- Vietjet
- Juneyao Air
- Turkish Airlines
If we consider Turkish to be a European airline, which is a little bit of a stretch, Sydney airport now can boast flights from two Eruopean carriers with the other being British Airways.
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